three hundred, were on the way to Plataea; but being delayed by the
state of the roads, and the swollen condition of the Asopus, which
they had to cross, they arrived too late. Being informed of what had
happened, they prepared to plunder the property of the Plataeans
outside the walls, and seize any of the citizens who crossed their
path, to serve as hostages for their own men in the town. The
Plataeans, perceiving their intention, sent a herald to remonstrate,
threatening that unless they desisted, all the Theban prisoners should
at once be put to death. And they promised further, under an oath,
that if the Thebans would withdraw their forces, the captives should
be restored--at least this was the account which was afterwards
current at Thebes, though the Plataeans denied that they had made any
such promise unconditionally, and declared that they had sworn no
oath. It seems probable that the Thebans had received some such
explicit assurance as they asserted; for, on receiving the answer from
Plataea, they marched away without doing any harm. No sooner were they
gone than the Plataeans made all haste to get their property within
the walls, and then put all their prisoners to death. The day was not
far distant when they were bitterly to rue this act of passion, which
was not only cruel, but grossly impolitic; for the Thebans thus slain
in cold blood, a hundred and eighty in number, would have been
invaluable as hostages, whereas the Plataeans had now cut themselves
off from all hope of reconciliation with Thebes, and virtually sealed
their own fate.

Two messengers had been despatched from Plataea to Athens, one after
the first entrance of the Thebans, and the second after their defeat
and capture; and the Athenians, on receiving the second message, sent
off a herald bidding the Plataeans to wait for further instructions,
before taking any steps against the prisoners. When the herald